This anthology vividly reveals Tolstoy’s lifelong fascination with the life and teachings of Jesus – in a way none of his novels, stories, or essays could on its own. In the hands of a master storyteller, the gospel themes come to life: betrayal and forgiveness, sacrifice and redemption, death and resurrection.

Hailed as one of the world’s greatest writers – by the likes of Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, Woolf, Joyce, Proust, Faulkner, and Nabokov – Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) is best known for his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. But his short stories express a hard-won faith, and his essays on Christianity, nonviolent resistance, and justice profoundly influenced many including Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Born into Russian nobility, Tolstoy eventually renounced his wealth and sought to put his beliefs into practice.

This rich, accessible introduction to a literary giant is drawn from Anna Karenina, War and Peace, Resurrection, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Master and Man, Walk in the Light, Twenty-Three Tales, Confession, and The Kingdom of God is Within You. Tolstoy enthusiasts will be pleased to find some of his deepest, most compelling passages in one volume, while new readers will find their appetites whetted for more.